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[0:00] We saw last time we were in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 that love is not easily provoked. It's not irritable. It's not touchy.

[0:11] It's not prickly. It's not a velvet jacket that you walk through life just picking up lint, picking up offenses. And it's a searching word.

[0:24] I bring myself to that standard. To that word, to that law. And I have to say with the psalmist, oh, that my ways were steadfast when I consider your decrees.

[0:41] But the truth is, is I'm far from having love perfected in me. And I'm sure you could say the same thing. Just thinking back, I'm sure you could do the same.

[0:55] I'm sure you could do the same thing. I'm sure you could do the same thing. I'm sure you could do the same thing. Too many impatient words. Too much irritability. Too much irritation with my spouse or my children or even other drivers on the road.

[1:13] I don't know how many times I caught myself even this month saying sarcastically, thanks for using your turn signal. Maybe you don't say that. Maybe you don't.

[1:24] But I sure do. Or I'm just like, get going. Why are you driving so slow? And he's been patient with me. The Lord's been patient with me. I don't really have any reason not to be patient with other people.

[1:38] I don't, it's not right for me to be an irritable person when the Lord has been so patient with me. And so I come again to Jesus.

[1:51] I'm again looking for forgiveness, asking for forgiveness. There's no other way for me. There's no other way for you. There's no other fount I know.

[2:03] Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And you might say blood of Jesus for irritable driving. Well, it's the blood of Jesus for having a proud, unloving heart that thinks the whole world has to flow and abide by what I think should be happening.

[2:23] And what do I find when I come humble and repentant to the Lord? Well, I find forgiveness. He forgives. He doesn't count my sin against me.

[2:35] I sin again and again. But this is what we saw Wednesday night from Psalm 130. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sin, O Lord, who could stand?

[2:46] But with you there is forgiveness. With you there's forgiveness. And we talked about that on Wednesday. Who could live in that world if the Lord didn't forgive?

[3:00] If he just kept a record of sin? Like, what kind of terrible life would that be? If he meticulously counted every one of my sins and never let a single one of them go.

[3:14] But he just held everyone against me. Well, who could stand, the psalmist says, who could stand in the judgment? Who could even stand a moment in that kind of life where God is counting, never forgetting, and holding everything against you?

[3:30] It would be hell. And it is hell. But with God there is forgiveness. So, why doesn't God keep that meticulous record and never forgives and he lets them go?

[3:50] Well, because God is love. Because God is love. This is his character. And Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, we come to the very next thing, and it says, love keeps no record of wrongs.

[4:03] That's Paul's description of what love does. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs. Keeping records, it's an accounting word. It means to reckon.

[4:15] It's the very same word that Paul uses that God reckoned righteousness to Abraham. It's that accounting word. It means to tally.

[4:27] So, I think Dan, he does a lot of accounting. He's going to keep track of every expense that comes on the books or in the factory.

[4:38] And everything that has a price gets marked up. Chuck Cloco is our treasurer here at the church. And he has a careful accounting of every expense, every deposit.

[4:51] Everything that has a dollar sign on it finds its way somewhere onto that record book. So, I turn in a receipt and Chuck puts it somewhere on some sort of accounting software.

[5:04] My paycheck goes out. And that's accounted for. And so, it finds its way into the record book. And Paul is saying that love doesn't have a record book like that.

[5:20] Love doesn't have a record book like that. Some people have books and books of records that they're carrying around with them.

[5:31] They're bookkeepers. They're scorekeepers. And life for them is all about keeping track of the score. Like marking up those tallies. And so, maybe I'm talking to you.

[5:43] I don't know. Am I talking to you? When you have a disagreement, do you get historical? Where you go back in time.

[5:54] Do you remember other people's wrongs? Is it all there? Is it all stored up? I know that some of you do that. And you can go over every scene.

[6:06] You can remember the time and the place and the tone of voice and where you were and what happened. And you know what led up to it and what happened afterwards. You can remember it like it was yesterday.

[6:17] And you feel it even to some degree like it just happened. And, you know, you said this. But did they listen? No, they didn't listen. And they did it anyways.

[6:29] And that was July of 2006. And in December of 2006, they didn't come to our house for Christmas. I remember that.

[6:39] And in January of 2007, there was that phone call that hurt so much. And in May 2008, she did this to me. And I don't even think she realized what she was doing to me. And in December 2009, I tried to get resolution for all these outstanding problems.

[6:54] But they didn't even remember what I was talking about. It's like your spiritual gift is remembering sins done against you. And every time there's a disagreement, you have to go back over the whole of it.

[7:09] Every to the beginning. No fresh start. Just a growing line of sins. And you see them like sins waiting out at the checkout line at Walmart.

[7:21] But they never check out and leave the store. They just keep on picking up and milling around and hanging around. And you never see them leave. So they're in your book.

[7:36] They're in your mind. And you don't let them go. Maybe it's consciously. Where you can do that sort of historical narrative.

[7:47] Where this big saga of your life and all the offenses done to you. You have a record of it. Maybe it's unconsciously. Maybe there's a brother or sister here that has offended you. And now, instead of looking at them with fresh eyes, with eyes of love, you're now starting to look at all their actions towards you through this lens of sin done against you.

[8:10] These dark colored glasses. This framework of evil. And so everything they do or say gets filtered through. This is the sin.

[8:22] This wrong. And maybe you don't even realize you're doing it. But it's how you interpret everything they do. You don't think the best of them.

[8:34] You don't give them the benefit of the doubt. Every good thing gets twisted into a bad thing. And every little bad thing gets magnified into a terrible wrong.

[8:45] A terrible thing. Well, either way, consciously, where you have it all down and you can enter it into a counting book. Or just unconsciously, where now you look at this person through this record of wrongs.

[8:57] Through this framework of evil. Through these dark colored glasses. Either way, what Paul is saying is that's not how love acts. That's not Christian love.

[9:09] Love forgives. Love sends those sins out the door. Love doesn't keep tallies. It doesn't have a scorecard. It doesn't even have a pencil to write these things down.

[9:24] Love is not in the scorekeeping business. That's what he is saying. And so, if this is you. And again, I wouldn't presume to know whether it's you.

[9:38] But if this is you, I would have to ask. Does God treat you that way? Are all your sins buzzing around his head? Are all your sins weighing on his heart?

[9:51] Does he keep all of your sins like a cherished, poisonous pet close to him? Does he live with all of your sins in mind when he looks at you? I read it this morning.

[10:03] Who is a God like you? Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.

[10:14] You delight to discharge sin and forgive people. The verse goes on in Micah. You will have compassion on us. You will tread our sins underfoot.

[10:26] And hurl all of our iniquities into the depths of the sea. So, sister, brother, the Lord has ground your sins under his feet.

[10:42] He has trod over them. He has walked over them like dirt. Or he has hurled your iniquities into the depths of the sea. So, picture the Lord. He's in a boat. And he goes out into the deep, deep waters.

[10:56] He's not in the shallows. He's in the depths. He's past where the continental shelf goes down. Now he's in the abyss, the deep parts. And he doesn't just sort of put your sins over the edge.

[11:10] He hurls them into the depths. Past all finding. Jerry Bridges says he vigorously disposes of our sins.

[11:24] He vigorously, with all of his heart, all of his strength, he disposes of our sin. That's forgiveness. They aren't coming back. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.

[11:40] Now, that means he can't even look at us and our sins at the same time. Because you can't face east and face west. You can't look east and look west at the same time.

[11:53] But with you, there is forgiveness. And so, our Father in heaven doesn't hold a grudge against us. He doesn't have that poisonous sin of, like, I'm not going to forgive them.

[12:10] In his chest, in his heart, holding it close. Not even when we are at our worst. Not even when we, as his children, are at our worst.

[12:23] Even then, he longs for us to come to our senses. To repent of our sins. It's not like he tolerates it. It's not that he wants it. But he longs for us to repent and come and be with him.

[12:36] He still calls us his child. He still calls us his friend. And he's waiting for the day when we leave that sin and come to him. And though he disciplines us, he doesn't hold our sin against us.

[12:55] Not like that. He doesn't cherish it in his heart. In some way, like, he can't let it go. He lets it go. He hurls it behind his back. He hurls it in the deepest ocean.

[13:05] He trods it underfoot. It's under the blood of Jesus. It cannot be seen. It is not reckoned to us. And so, if he does that with your sin, then why can't you do it with your brother or your sister or whoever's sin against you?

[13:23] Why can't you? Maybe you can't let it go. And I think this is probably the most common reason.

[13:34] Maybe you can't let it go because you have this nagging feeling that if you forgive it, if you don't remember it, if you don't remember the hurt this person did to you, no one will.

[13:48] It will be like it didn't count. It didn't happen. It didn't matter. And inside you're saying, no, it did happen. And it did hurt.

[13:58] What this person did to me was wrong. And it was evil. And if I forgive it, then it will somehow sort of be like it never happened.

[14:09] And so, but it did happen. And it was wrong. And so, I am keeping the scoreboard lit up. I am holding it in my heart. Because if I don't hold it there, then it's like it's not a big deal.

[14:23] And it is a big deal. And let me tell you, I get how you feel. I understand how you feel. But brother or sister, let me tell you why, despite whatever they did, whoever did it, why you can let it go, why you can shut your accounting book and put away your accounting pencil and turn away from the desk and leave it behind.

[14:51] Why can you let it go? The theological reason that you don't have to keep a record of wrongs is because God is just. Because God is just.

[15:05] God's demand for righteousness is greater than your demand for righteousness ever could be. His demand for, I will pay, I will repay this sin, I will give justice, is greater far than anything you could muster.

[15:23] Every sin done against you was first done against Him. No one has ever violated you that did not first violate what He said or who He was.

[15:35] So God's demand for righteousness is far greater, infinitely greater, than your demand for justice ever could be. So every sin ever done to you is going to be taken care of.

[15:48] Because this is who God is. He is going to take care of. He will address every sin for the serious thing that it is.

[15:59] And He takes care of it in one of two places. It's going to be punished in one of two places. In hell? In the person of the sinner where the anger of God will be forever unleashed against that person for what He has done.

[16:16] Or it was already punished on the cross in Jesus Christ. Already forgiven then. Just like all of your sins have already been forgiven.

[16:31] So in hell? Or on the cross? But either way, you don't have to keep score. Because that is God's job.

[16:42] He says, vengeance is mine. I will repay. And He does repay. In hell or on the cross.

[16:53] But every single sin is paid for. So therefore, I can tell you to let it go. To forgive.

[17:04] To not let it control you like that. To not stew over it. But to really close the books and walk away. And so if it was your brother or sister in Jesus Christ at the cross, that sin was paid for.

[17:18] And that sin was forgiven. And now you can rejoice that they are forgiven just like you. There are many sins. Your many sins.

[17:30] Forgiven because of Jesus Christ. But now I do have something very serious to say about this whole thing. If you can't rejoice in their forgiveness.

[17:44] If you cannot forgive your brother. Jesus says that neither will God forgive you. Do you understand that?

[17:56] Jesus says that three times. He says that in the Lord's Prayer. When He taught us to pray. He taught us to pray. Forgive me.

[18:08] Like I forgive. Those who have sinned against me. Forgive my debts. As I have forgiven their debts. He said it in the Lord's Prayer. He said it after the Lord's Prayer.

[18:19] And He said it in the parable of the unmerciful servant. If you will not forgive your brother. Then the cross means nothing to you. And you yourself won't be forgiven.

[18:33] If the cross isn't enough for your brother or sister. It's not going to be enough for you. Jesus taught us to pray. Forgive us as we have forgiven others.

[18:44] For if you forgive others their trespasses. Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses. Neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Now.

[18:56] I think we can. We can. Overcomplicate this. Or we can try to do some sort of theological. Or exegetical back bends. And yoga poses. On all you want. But at the end. Of the.

[19:07] The parable of the. Unmerciful servant. There's that. Very confusing. And confounding thing. Of. The one who is forgiven. Is now.

[19:19] Being tortured. Until he pays everything. Back. And Jesus is saying. That's what will happen. If you don't forgive your brother. From your heart.

[19:31] So was the cross. Enough. For you. Brother or sister. It was. It was. It was enough. To cover your sins. Then it will be enough.

[19:42] Then it is enough. For your brother or sister. Sister. It. So. The cross is enough for me. And the cross is enough. For whoever hurt me.

[19:53] If they repent. Their sins will be covered. Their sins will be dealt with. And paid back. And forgiven. And if they don't repent. Then you can still.

[20:04] Let it go. Then you can still. Let it go. You don't have to. Nurse the. Nurse memories. Or carry around. These resentments. Because God knows.

[20:17] And God. Will exact. Perfect. Justice. For every. Single. Sin. So you. Don't. Have. To keep.

[20:28] Score. Vengeance is mine. I will repay. Now. That is some pretty. Significant.

[20:42] That's some pretty. Strong. Ground. But that's the ground. That love grows in. The cross. Hell. My own.

[20:54] Eternal state. Do you see that love grows. Out of knowing God. If you know God's forgiving love. At the cross. Then you will be forgiving others.

[21:05] If that's. Doesn't weigh very much on you. Then I'm going to tell you. That the cross doesn't mean that much to you. Then. When it comes time to forgive your brother or sister. You're. You're going to really struggle.

[21:18] So has God's love. Found its way to your heart. Has he forgiven you. Your sins. Has he covered all over everything that you've done.

[21:30] Your many wrongs. Then. Forgive. Brother. Forgive your sister. Don't keep the tally. Don't keep the.

[21:40] The scoreboard lit up. You can let it go. You could put it behind your back. And you can go on loving. Like God wants us to love. So.

[21:52] Has your heart found its way to God's love. Or. Or rather. Has God's love found its way to your heart. Then go and forgive. Then go and forgive. Forgive. And forgive from the heart.

[22:04] Let's pray. Lord. We do want to take this word seriously. And I would just pray. That if there are any here.

[22:16] Who are holding grudges. Or resentments. Who are not. Who are carrying around offenses. That. You would give them.

[22:28] The grace. To forgive. That you would give them the grace. To look at Jesus Christ. And look at what he suffered. And look at the sheer number.

[22:39] And volume. And the greatness. Of their sins done against you. And how you have forgiven them all. And. And so work in their heart. That they will gladly forgive.

[22:52] The two dollars. The little feet. The little debts. That someone else has against them. Lord. You've been far. Far.

[23:03] Far. So much more gracious. Than. Than we are. And so please. Teach us at length. To love. Teach us to love. One another. To not. Carry around.

[23:14] Scorecards. And tallies. And. Always holding these things. Against other people. But teach us to walk in love. That we might have. A full measure.

[23:24]  Of the Holy Spirit. That we might have. A full measure of joy. And peace. Here. In this church. I pray this for Jesus sake. Amen.